Shloka 9
Adhyāya 160: Arjuna’s Envoy-Message—Critique of Borrowed Valor and Pre-dawn Mobilization
अमर्ष राज्यहरणं वनवासं च पाण्डव । द्रौपद्याश्न परिक्लेशं संस्मरन् पुरुषो भव,'पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम अपने अमर्षको, राज्यके अपहरणको, वनवासको और द्रौपदीको दिये गये क्लेशको भी याद करके मर्द बनो
amarṣaṁ rājyaharaṇaṁ vanavāsaṁ ca pāṇḍava | draupadyāś ca parikleśaṁ saṁsmaran puruṣo bhava ||
Ulūka verhöhnt den Pāṇḍava und drängt ihn, die erinnerten Kränkungen in männlichen Entschluss zu verwandeln: „Erinnere dich an deine schwelende Empörung — wie man dir das Reich raubte, wie man dich in die Verbannung in den Wald trieb und wie man Draupadī leiden ließ. Wenn du dessen gedenkst, dann sei ein Mann!“
उलूक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how remembrance of injustice can be weaponized: Ulūka frames past wrongs as a test of manliness, pushing the Pāṇḍava toward anger and violent retaliation. Ethically, it highlights the tension between righteous restraint and kṣatriya honor, and how provocations can distort dharma by inflaming passion.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Duryodhana’s envoy Ulūka delivers a taunting message to the Pāṇḍavas. He lists their grievances—loss of kingdom, exile, and Draupadī’s suffering—to provoke them, undermine peace efforts, and hasten the outbreak of war.